Exonerate the WM3 Official Blog

The Truth Behind Echols v. State: How an Alford Guilty Plea Saved the #WM3

Please read Kaytee Vota's excellent Law Review article on why the Alford Plea should not have been used in the West Memphis Three case. To read, click here or Download The Truth Behind Echols v. State_ How an Alford Guilty Plea Saved .

Ellington: Money a factor in West Memphis deal #wm3

By Andrew DeMillo, The Associated Press

LITTLE ROCK — Prosecutor and congressional candidate Scott Ellington said Wednesday that future legal costs to the state and potential juror misconduct factored into his decision to agree to the deal that freed three men convicted in the murders of three Cub Scouts in 1993.

Speaking on a panel with the attorneys for the three men convicted in the case, Ellington said that he wanted to ensure that a guilty verdict in the killings was preserved when he considered the deal last year. Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley were freed in August under an unusual plea deal in which their original convictions were set aside and they pleaded guilty to lesser charges.

Ellington, one of three Democrats running for an east Arkansas congressional seat, said he knew prosecutors faced a tough legal fight in the case.

“I knew it was looking pretty drastic when you have million dollar experts and million dollar lawyers that are working for free,” Ellington said in the discussion, part of a day-long symposium on the case at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Bowen School of Law. “It was going to be a difficult case.”

Ellington, who agreed to the deal as the state was preparing for a new hearing in the case ordered by the state Supreme Court, said he considered how much it would cost the state if the three men were eventually acquitted. He said he was worried about potential damages that would be awarded if the three men sued over their original convictions.

“The fact is, if these guys had been acquitted, don’t think that Blake wouldn’t have had his lawsuit ready to go,” Ellington said, referring to Blake Hendrix, Baldwin’s attorney.

Read the full story at ArkansasOnline.

04/26: Death Penalty Focus 21st Annual Awards Dinner #wm3

Tickets still on sale for this event to honor the WM3 and their respective legal teams, MC'd by Natalie Maines. $100 of each ticket is tax-deductible. For more info, visit deathpenalty.org .

 

#WM3's Jason Baldwin Visits Belmont

Jason Baldwin, one of the West Memphis Three, was on campus this week to share his story and newfound passions with Belmont faculty, staff and students.

Sentenced in 1994 for the murder of three boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, Baldwin and his two friends served over 18 years in prison. With the discovery of newly processed DNA, the trio was released in August of 2011 when they entered Alford Pleas stating their innocence while also noting that prosecution have enough initial evidence to sentence them as they did.

Baldwin’s message to his listeners was clear. While in jail he took the opportunity to work in the law library, learn as much as he could and appreciate all the time he had. He urges students to do the same.

Baldwin has also committed himself to a life working against the death penalty while also opposing forced confessions of individuals on trial and convictions of the innocent. In addition, he hopes to help juveniles facing a life sentence without parole.

Beginning his associate degree in April, Baldwin hopes to finish that program and work towards a law degree so he can continue his hopes of changing the legal system. He ended his convocation lecture by saying, “Every day is amazing. Every day is a blessing. I thank God for it.”

On Monday night, Baldwin was present for an on campus viewing of the 2012 Academy Award-nominated HBO documentary Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory. The film, along with its predecessors Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996) and Paradise Lost 2: Revelations (2000), detail the story of the West Memphis Three and the trio’s ultimate release from prison. Together the films played a significant role in garnering publicity, awareness and support for the men.

Prosecutor reveals new details in #WM3 negotiations

Submitted by Kontji Anthony, Action News 5 Anchor/Reporter

Sunday, March 25th, 2012, 5:52pm

MEMPHIS, TN- (WMC-TV) - The prosecutor who agreed to free the West Memphis Three spoke to Action News 5 for the first time since he joined Arkansas' 1st Congressional District race.

In 2010, new DNA evidence surfaced in the murders of three West Memphis Cub Scouts.  Last year, Arkansas Prosecuting Attorney Scott Ellington allowed a rare legal maneuver that freed Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley after 18 years in prison.

Read the full story at wmctv.com .

As Ellington toured a West Memphis mobile home park Sunday, he described the soul searching that came before he joined the congressional race.

"I'll be honest with you, I spent some time praying and thinking about it, and talking with my wife and talking with some close, close friends," said Ellington.  "We decided that if this is the right time to do it, we'll step out and do it and let the voters decide."

Ellington said any speculation he was seeking higher office when he agreed to release the West Memphis Three last August belittles everyone involved.

3/26: Belmont University to Host #WM3's Jason Baldwin

On Monday, March 26, Belmont University will host  both a film presentation and a convocation lecture with Jason Baldwin, one of the three men now known as the West Memphis 3. In 1994, a teenage Baldwin and acquaintances Damien Echols and Jessie Misskelley were tried and convicted in the murders of three 8-year-old boys the year before in West Memphis, Arkansas.

According to the New York Times, “The convictions were largely based on the testimony of witnesses who said they heard the teenagers talk of the murders, and on the prosecution’s argument that the defendants had been motivated as members of a satanic cult.”

Believing the three were wrongfully convicted, a number of supporters worked on documentaries, books and benefit concerts to garner attention to the case. In 2007, new forensic evidence was presented, and last fall the three men were released from prison after entering Alford pleas, which allow them to assert their innocence while acknowledging that prosecutors have enough evidence to convict them.

Baldwin will speak on Monday at 10 a.m. in the Massey Boardroom about his arrest at age 16 and his experience serving more than 18 years of a life sentence and how those events have informed his future. Baldwin, who hopes to attend law school some day with the goal of preventing wrongful convictions, will also be participating in a private lunch with students and faculty from Belmont’s College of Law.

At 7 p.m. the public is invited to join Baldwin along with Belmont students, faculty and staff in the Bunch Library Multimedia Room for a viewing of the 2012 Academy Award-nominated HBO documentary Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory. The film, along with its predecessors Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996) and Paradise Lost 2: Revelations (2000), detail the story of the West Memphis 3 and the trio’s ultimate release from prison. Together the films played a significant role in garnering publicity, awareness and support for the men.

For more information, click here.

LASIS Welcomes a Special Guest -- Damien Echols #wm3

By LASIS Staff

On March 21 Damien Echols surprised the LASIS crew with a visit.

It was a moving experience for us, as we’d watched the “Paradise Lost” documentaries, and researched the case that landed Mr. Echols in death row.

Our subsequent pieces about the West Memphis 3 tragedy can be found here, here, and here.

Mr. Echols was convicted and locked up for a triple murder he didn’t commit.  He spent a total of 18 years in prison; he didn’t see sunlight for ten of them.  The lack of sunlight and prison conditions took a toll on his health and his eyes. That’s Mr. Echols in the dark glasses in the photo. (Click photo to enlarge).

We will never forget the afternoon we spent with Mr. Echols, whom we found to be remarkable in every way: intelligent, soulful, honest, gracious, and somehow, despite everything he’s experienced, suffused with a healthy dose of zen.

Read the full story at LAsisblog.com

Jason Baldwin: Way West of Memphis #wm3

How a famous former prisoner came to call Seattle home.

By Erin K. Thompson Wednesday, Mar 21 2012

On August 20, Jason Baldwin boarded a flight from Memphis to Seattle. He was 34 years old and had never been on an airplane. The farthest north he'd been was the Craighead County Jail in Jonesboro, in his home state of Arkansas. The farthest south was the Varner Unit in Grady, Arkansas; the farthest west was the Diagnostic Unit in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

The geographical boundaries of his life had been prisons. In 1994, Baldwin, his best friend Damien Echols, and Jessie Misskelley, Jr. were convicted of murdering three 8-year-old boys the year before in one of the most sensational child-murder cases in U.S. history. Baldwin was 16 at the time.

Nearly 20 years later, the story of the West Memphis Three is familiar to the public, especially those who've seen Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky's HBO documentary trilogy, Paradise Lost. The first film was largely responsible for raising awareness about the bizarre aspects of the trial that convicted the Three: Misskelley's forced confession, leads not followed, the conclusion that Baldwin was involved in an insidious satanic cult with Echols because he owned black Metallica T-shirts. Johnny Depp, Natalie Maines, and Eddie Vedder subsequently got involved in the cause to "free the West Memphis Three."

Read the full story at SeattleWeekly.com

Damien Echols' New Book, Life After Death, Available for Pre-Order! #wm3

Damien's much anticipated follow-up to Almost Home (forever out of print, alas) will be released on September 18 but is now available for pre-order. 

• 

• Publisher: Blue Rider Press (September 18, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399160205
• ISBN-13: 978-0399160202

Sinofsky & Baldwin to Appear at Blood on the Beach con April 20-22 #wm3

First they will screen the films at  11am on April 21st, followed by a Q&A. More case related guests  TBA. Blood on the Beach takes place in Virginia Beach, VA. Looks like this year is going to be the best ever!

 

Sony Pictures Classics Buys Worldwide Rights to Amy Berg's "West of Memphis"

Sony Pictures Classics announced today that they have acquired worldwide rights to Academy Award^®nominated filmmaker Amy Berg’s (DELIVER US FROM EVIL) high profile documentary WEST OF MEMPHIS.  The film debuted at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in the Documentary Premiere Section to great critical acclaim.  WEST OF MEMPHIS is produced by the Academy Award-winning team of Fran Walsh and Peter Jackson, and first time producers Damien Echols and Lorri Davis.

Read the full press release at indiewire.com

$100,000 Reward Offered for New Info Leading to Arrest & Conviction in #WM3 Murder Case

$100,000 REWARD IN WEST MEMPHIS 3 CASE FOR NEW INFORMATION LEADING TO ARREST AND CONVICTION OF INDIVIDUAL(S) RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MURDER OF STEVIE BRANCH, MICHAEL MOORE AND CHRIS BYERS

CALL CONFIDENTIAL TIP LINE– (501) 256-1775

(Arkansas – February 28, 2012) In an effort to find the real killer of the three boys in the West Memphis 3 case, an anonymous donor has offered a $100,000 reward for new information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the murders of Stevie Branch, Christopher Byers, and Michael Moore on May 5, 1993.

 

Billboards and radio advertising will promote the reward and encourage those with credible information to contact the confidential tip line as soon as possible. Attorneys for Damien Echols will review all calls and verify the information provided. All credible evidence will be turned over to Scott Ellington, District Prosecutor, who has said that he will review evidence presented to him from Echols’s defense team.

 

Little Rock attorney Patrick Benca, said, “There are people in Arkansas who have information about who killed these three little boys and we encourage them to come forward now. We want to bring those responsible to justice. We are not looking for theories, but for real information that can put the true criminal(s) behind bars.”

Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley were freed in August 2011, after serving eighteen years in the wrongful conviction murder of the three children in 1993. Their freedom was based upon a plea agreement in which, while maintaining their innocence, the three agreed to an Alford plea. They were released based upon time served. The three, men, who unequivocally claim they are innocent, nevertheless accepted the deal to get out of prison. They have vowed to continue to fight to seek justice in the case and want the real killers to be found.

Capi Peck, founder of Arkansas Take Action, said, “We know Damien, Jason and Jessie were not involved in this crime, and that those responsible are still in our community.  It may be difficult to provide information about a murder, but it is the right thing to do. We are hopeful that this reward will motivate someone to help put an end to these tragic events.”

Confidential Tip Line 501.256.1775 or send information to PO Box 183, 6834 Cantrell Road, Little Rock, AR 72207. See www.freewestmemphis3.org.

 

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory Oscar nominee interview #wm3

MSN speaks with Jason Baldwin of the West Memphis Three and documentary director Joe Berlinger. Watch the video here

‘Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory’: Its Road to the Academy Awards #wm3

The third documentary about the West Memphis 3 is a frontrunner for the Best Documentary Oscar. Lorenza Muñoz traces the films' 19-year journey, ending with the three men’s release.

by Lorenza Muñoz  | February 22, 2012 12:00 AM EST

It was a case too sensational to pass up. With a Southern Gothic feel, three Arkansas teenagers had been accused of torturing and killing three 8-year-old schoolboys in a Satanic ritual.

So when Sheila Nevins, HBO president of Documentary and Family Programming, saw the tiny wire story buried deep inside The New York Times in 1993, she sent documentary filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky to investigate.

“Sheila saw that story as the Satanic worshipers who killed the Cub Scouts,” recalled Berlinger, whose 1992 documentary Brother’s Keeper had impressed Nevins. “At the time the country was coming off a wave of Satanic hysteria … It was a real life River’s Edge.”

Berlinger and Sinofsky were intrigued by the angle of kids killing kids. But in chronicling the case of the so-called West Memphis 3, Jason Baldwin, Damien Echols, and Jessie Misskelley, they came away convinced that the teens were innocent.

The subsequent documentaries, Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills and its two sequels, created a worldwide firestorm of coverage and an outcry in the public. It also drew attention from music-industry figures such as Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, the Dixie Chicks’s Natalie Maines, and Patti Smith. It prompted director Peter Jackson and his wife, screenwriter Fran Walsh, to hire forensic-evidence experts who found new DNA evidence exonerating the West Memphis 3 and possibly pointing at another suspect. After spending nearly two decades in prison—including death row for Echols—they were released in a plea deal in August. 

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory, which premiered on HBO last month, has been nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Documentary category. In the always-unpredictable category, it is considered a frontrunner.

Exclusive: West Memphis 3 Judge David Burnett Breaks Silence #wm3

 

In an exclusive interview with Region 8 News, State Senator David Burnett, the judge who presided over the West Memphis 3 trial breaks his longstanding silence in regards to the case.

In 1993 Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jesse Misskelley were convicted of the murders of three West Memphis boys. Burnett presided over the original trial and the men's appeals that sent the so-called WM3 to prison. Now, not even a year after the "West Memphis Three" were set free, Burnett breaks his silence in an exclusive interview with Region 8 News.

"The way it's ended it's now a Hollywood comedy in my opinion and I don't like that," said Burnett.

Tonight only on Region 8 News at 10, Senator Burnett relates his thoughts on many aspects of the case that garnered national and international attention -  the case itself, the defendants, and the outcome.

Read the full story here.

PL3 Director Joe Berlinger Talks About "Unnecessary Friction" w 'West Of Memphis' Filmmakers

by Todd Gilchrist

For almost 20 years, documentarian Joe Berlinger (along with Bruce Sinofksy) has chronicled the complicated history of the West Memphis Three, a trio of Arkansas teenagers who were found guilty of a triple homicide despite questionable evidence. His first film about the trial, “Paradise Lost,” was released in 1996; Part 2, 'Revelations' followed in 2000, and Part 3, 'Purgatory,' just received a nomination for Best Documentary at this year’s Academy Awards. Berlinger never aspired to be the only filmmaker or news outlet pursuing the story, and in the last year or so, a couple of high-profile projects were initiated about the trial, including the documentary “West of Memphis,” produced by Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh and directed by Amy Berg, and an adaptation of the book “Devil’s Knot,” an account of the crimes written by Mara Levirett, with Atom Egoyan set to direct and Reese Witherspoon to star.

The announcement of these competing projects (particularly Berg's documentary) has stirred its own share of controversy, especially since, as Berlinger acknowledged, they experienced some “friction” as he and Berg were trying to complete their films. But in this exclusive interview with The Playlist at Sundance, where he's unveiling his latest effort the Paul Simon doc "Under African Skies," Berlinger revealed his feelings about those other films, specified what caused problems during production, and proffered what he hopes will come out of these competing efforts to document the case.

Read the full story at indiewire.

Colin Firth to Star in West Memphis 3 Movie 'Devil's Knot' #wm3

By Joshua L. Weinstein at TheWrap

Wed Feb 1, 2012 4:37pm EST

Colin Firth has signed on to star as Ron Lax, the private investigator whose detective work helped get three men who had been convicted of murder released from prison in Arkansas, the producers of the "Devil's Knot" told TheWrap Wednesday.

Lax "really is the unsung hero of this story," producer Elizabeth Fowler said.

The West Memphis Three are Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, Jr., who were convicted of killing three 8-year-old boys in West Memphis, Ark., in 1993. Their guilt has been questioned ever since, with filmmakers taking up the case in a series of documentaries.

Also read: Out of Prison, West Memphis 3 Ex-Con Seeks Justice

"The Devil's Knot" will take a dramatized approach to the case, which shot back into headlines in August, when a judge ordered the West Memphis Three freed.

The judge freed the men based in large part on evidence that Lax found. The private investigator -- who worked on the case at no charge for more than a decade because he opposes the death penalty -- found DNA evidence that linked the stepfather of one of the murdered boys to material that was used to bind one of the victims.

The movie, however, "is not about how they got out of prison," producer Clark Peterson told TheWrap. "It's about how they got in."

Read the full story at TheWrap.com

Pam Hobbs on #WM3, Her Ex, and Meeting Damien Echols

From MyFoxMemphis.com

West Memphis, Ark. - Pam Hobbs tries to stay busy, which helps her avoid mentally agonizing over whether the man she once loved as a husband could have been capable of committing the unspeakable crime that's torn her world asunder for 19 years.

"I'm not letting that thought dwell with me. However, I'm scared. I'm fearful...sometimes guilt stricken. I might have overlooked something…I really can't explain my emotions with that. I'm just numb to the feeling right now and praying that it's not true."

Yet with the emergence of three potential new witnesses allegedly implicating Hobbs ex-husband Terry as the perpetrator in the brutal 1993 killings of three West Memphis boys, including his own step-son Stevie Branch, Pam Hobbs has been forced to again relive the tumultuous time. That includes looking back on her often stormy relationship with her former husband and what she now sees as his strange behavior before and after her son's heinous murder. A strained marriage she reflects often found Hobbs and her at odds over his treatment of their children.

Echols, Baldwin attend #WM3 documentary premiere in Nashville

 

NASHVILLE, TN - (WMC-TV) - A new documentary based on the West Memphis Three premiered in Nashville Thursday night.

Damien Echols, his wife Lorri Echols, and Peter Jackson are producers of "West of Memphis."  Echols and his wife were in Nashville Thursday for the city's premiere of the documentary.

"This is our project, our movie," said Echols.  "We're just happy we're seeing it."

Echols and his wife were joined by Jason Baldwin, Pam Hobbs, the mother of victim Steve Branch, and Mark Byers, the stepfather of victim Christopher Byers, at the sold out premiere.

The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah last week.

The documentary reveals new evidence discovered by defense attorneys that points the finger to Terry Hobbs, Pam Hobbs ex-husband.

"I'm content in my heart with my feeling that Damien, Jessie and Jason did not murder my son," said Pam Hobbs.

Read the full story and see the video at wmctv.com.

Paradise Lost 3 Nominated for Academy Award, Documentary Feature #wm3

Damien Echols discusses life "West of Memphis" #wm3

By Zorianna Kit

(Reuters) - Damien Echols was just a teenager when he and his two friends were tried and convicted of the murder of three young boys in West Memphis, Arkansas in 1993, a case that became known as the West Memphis Three.

Echols, along with fellow teens Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, are thought by some to be innocent of the crime and over the years, several documentaries have been made about them. Support from "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson and other celebrities has helped raise awareness of their case.

Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley were released from prison last August in a legal maneuver known as an "Alford Plea," whereby the men plead guilty in their own best interest while asserting innocence.

Now their case is the subject of a documentary, "West of Memphis," produced by Jackson, his wife Fran Walsh, along with Echols and his wife, Lorri Davis. The movie looks at their case, interviews them in jail and tracks them after leaving prison.

Read  the full story here.

'West of Memphis' Filmmakers Accuse Stepfather of Murder -- Would Welcome a Lawsuit

By Steve Pond at TheWrap

At a news conference on Saturday, the filmmakers and legal team behind "West of Memphis" made it clear that they'd be delighted to be sued by Terry Hobbs, the man they strongly suggest  is responsible for the triple murder for which three young men spent nearly 20 years in prison.

"Let him have at it," said Dennis Riordan, an attorney who led the legal battle of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelly, the "West Memphis Three," to regain their freedom.

Hobbs has sued before and lost. But the filmmakers go out on a limb, almost inviting a new lawsuit in implicating him in the murder of his stepson and two eight-year-old playmates in 1993.

"Things worked out very well for us when he sued Natalie Maines," said Riordan with a smile.

Read the full story here.

EW.com: West of Memphis cast Q&A #wm3

Click image to see exclusive new video interview with Peter, Amy, Damien and Lorri.

 

Defense team raises new evidence in #WM3 case

 

From todaysthv.com

Sundance 2012: Tears and Anger as Peter Jackson's 'West of Memphis' Premieres

Damien Echols, Pam Hobbs and John Mark Byers attend the first screening of Amy Berg's documentary about the West Memphis 3 case.

The premiere of West of Memphis, Amy Berg’s new documentary about the controversial Arkansas case of the West Memphis 3, brought a full Sundance audience to the MARC Theatre Friday afternoon. Jackson and wife Fran Walsh, who produced the project, were on hand to introduce it, and several of the people involved in the case and the 1993 murders were there, as well. Victims’ parents John Mark Byers and Pam Hobbs were in the theater, as were Damien Echols and his wife Lorri Davis, who produced the film with Jackson and Walsh. Several of Echols’ lawyers were in attendance as well as a pair of juvenile legal defense workers who helped his case.

Full story at HollywoodReporter.com